Her niche is a jewel

Quincy woman lets you shop like the rich at her Boston store, which sells replicas of celebrities’ jewelry.

By MARIBETH CONWAY

The Patriot Ledger, Quincy, MA

By MARIBETH CONWAY

Posted Feb. 2, 2010 at 12:01 AM
Updated Feb 2, 2010 at 2:07 AM

By MARIBETH CONWAY

Posted Feb. 2, 2010 at 12:01 AM
Updated Feb 2, 2010 at 2:07 AM

» Social News

A sparkling red rock encircles Amy Montminy’s finger – a replica of a wedding gift given to Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis from Aristotle Onassis. Montminy snagged the ring from Filthy Rich, her jewelry shop in Boston’s North End that sells licensed replicas of famous gems.

“I wanted to do something unique, a niche,” said Montminy, of Quincy, about starting her own business.

The store is like a plush walk-in closet where a starlet from the ’50s may have dressed herself before a night on the red carpet. “Crazy” by Patsy Cline and other ’60s music plays on the radio while women passing by stop and stare into the window.

“Each day you find nose and finger marks. (The window display) leads to a lot of impulse shopping,” Montminy said.

A sunburst pin, just like one Jackie Onassis frequently wore, sits in the window alongside a photo of the style icon wearing the brooch. A short history posted in the window offers a little dirt on the pin: Onassis spotted a sunburst pin in a London antique shop but the pin cost $50,000, so she secretly sold pins given to her by her former in-laws, Rose and Joe Kennedy, to afford the sunburst pin. To avoid offending Rose and Joe Kennedy, she ordered costume copies made of the pins she had sold.

“Customers love those stories. They love the way the jewelry looks, but they really love those stories,” Montminy said.

Originally from Baltimore, Montminy moved with her husband to Quincy, where he has a law firm. A mother of twin daughters, Montminy helps manage her husband’s firm, “but I wanted something for myself,” she said.

A few years ago, she was exploring business options when a tiny store in Florida called Filthy Rich caught her eye. The store sold replicas of jewelry worn by Hollywood icons like Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn. The store also carried replicas of Jackie Kennedy Onassis’ jewelry.

“I knew Kennedy Onassis could be a hit in the Boston area,” Montminy said.

She bought a license to run a Filthy Rich store and in 2007 opened the North End shop, one of nine Filthy Rich locations worldwide. The stores contract with foundations, trusts and families of celebrities to sell licensed replicas.

Customer Doreen Merola is a regular at Filthy Rich and has accumulated her own collection of earrings, rings and bracelets. “I just like the way everything looks,” she said. The purchase that she says grabs the most attention is a replica of Kennedy Onassis’ famous tank watch.

While mourning John F. Kennedy’s death, Jackie Kennedy was photographed wearing all black and one piece of jewelry: a black tank watch. The replica is one of Filthy Rich’s biggest sellers.

“It’s a great conversation piece,” Merola said.

Page 2 of 2 - Filthy Rich is full of great conversation pieces, said Montminy, like the replica of a kunzite ring that was JFK’s last gift to his wife. He had the ring made after the couple’s son Patrick died, but he never delivered the ring to his wife because he was shot just weeks later. Replicas of the ring retail for $75.

While customers browse, Montminy and her employees offer fun tidbits to customers. They’ll tell you, for example, about Kennedy Onassis’ ingenuity when it came to her jewelry. Many of her earrings could be worn two or three different ways by removing or replacing stones. She also had bracelets made with extension clasps so they could be worn over coats during winter. One of her bracelets revealed a modest or flashier design simply by turning it.

Also lining the shelves are jewels from legends such as Betty Grable, Monroe, Jean Harlow, Bette Davis, Lana Turner and Vivien Leigh. A replica of the earrings Leigh wore in the famous drapery dress scene in “Gone with the Wind” can be bought for $65.

The store also carries jewelry modeled after the gems worn by contemporary celebrities such as Angelina Jolie, Cameron Diaz and Miley Cyrus. These pieces are not licensed replicas but are made in the style of current red carpet fashion. This collection includes pieces inspired by Cartier, David Yurman and Tiffany and Co.

A necklace in the style of Tiffany’s popular Key collection costs $48, a stark difference in price from the real thing, which retails for more than $6,000.

“Prices are not hidden in this store. You’ll see each item with the price clearly shown. It’s part of our selling point,” Montminy said. “You don’t have to be filthy rich to shop here.”